Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Inu-Yasha. But if I did you can bet he's be topless a hell of a lot more!
Chapter 2- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Inu-Yasha got up late the next day and went to the well. Getting out at Kagome's time, he exited the shrine and climbed up to her window. Pushing it open he dropped onto her bedroom floor and looked around, but Kagome wasn't there. Thinking she may be elsewhere in the house he left her room to find her. Entering the corridor, his nose twitched as he smelt a familiar scent, but it wasn't Kagome. Sota rounded the corner up ahead and upon seeing his idol, Inu-Yasha, his face split into a massive grin. He ran forward to the hanyou,
"Hey Inu-Yashaaaa!" He called out excitedly, "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming." Inu-Yasha stared down at the small boy.
"I'm looking for Kagome. You thought I wasn't coming to what?"
"To Kagome's birthday party, silly." Sota laughed, "She's gone out with some friends to the cinema, I can take you there if you want. You can borrow my cap to hide your ears." But Inu-Yasha wasn't listening, he was thinking deeply about something.
"What are birthday parties like here?" he asked the excited Sota.
"Oh you know! Decorations, games, food, cake and of course presents!" Inu-Yasha had heard all he had needed to hear and turned back to Kagome's room.
"I'm going now. Don't you dare tell Kagome I was here."
Later that Evening
Kagome dragged herself upstairs and flopped onto her bed. She had had a great, yet exhausting day, half of it spent with her friends and the other half with her family. She had been given lots of great presents, eaten as much cake as was physically possible and was now ready for a long, much needed sleep. As she forced herself up to get ready for bed, her mind drifted to Inu-Yasha.
"Maybe I was a bit hard on him," she thought, "he didn't know it was my birthday and as Naraku is getting stronger it is important we collect as many shards as possible. Perhaps I'll go back tomorrow and help him look for that spider." Her mind made up, she lay down on her bed and went to sleep, her dreams filled with images from her 16th birthday.
The next morning, Kagome got up, got dressed, had a large breakfast and packed her bag for a day or two in the feudal era. Leaping into the well she passed through and then started to climb out again. When she reached the top she saw a flash of red, but when she turned her head she saw nothing.
"Inu-Yasha?" she called uncertainly, but receiving no reply she disregarded it as a trick of the eye and continued on her way. Reaching Kaede's hut she stood outside and looked around. It was strangely quiet, normally on a sunny day like this, she would have at least seen one of her feudal friends. She hadn't seen Kaede mixing herbs, Sango training, Miroku watching Sango, Shippō playing with his spinning tops or even Inu-Yasha, sitting and brooding. It was strange and when she got no answer to the knock on Kaede's door her worry only deepened. Pushing the door open she rushed inside.
"SURPRISE!" Kagome jumped back as Kaede, Sango, Miroku, Shippō and Inu-Yasha all appeared in front of her.
"Wha! What's going on!" She looked around, the whole hut was decorated in bright reds, blues, yellows and greens, in the corner there was a large table covered in food including what looked like a large cake without the candles. All her friends laughed at her stunned expression.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAGOME!" They chanted. Kagome felt herself being pulled further into the room and the pack taken off of her shoulders to be placed in another corner of the room and forgotten about.
"H…how did you know?" she asked them.
"Inu-Yasha found out," Miroku answered, "he went to your world through the well and your brother told him." Shippō jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and hugged her, saying excitedly,
"We spent all of yesterday preparing this for you, I helped with the decorations do you like them?"
"I love them Shippō, thank you so much, all of you."
"Can we show her now? Can we can we?" Shippō was bouncing with excitement.
"Show me what?" A blindfold was placed over Kagome's eyes.
"Another surprise." Came Sango's voice. There was the sound of shuffling as something was brought in from a small room to the side and placed on a table.
"Ok," it was Miroku speaking this time, "ready?" The blindfold was whipped off and Kagome was left staring at the object on the table. It was a bow. A brand new bow with a matching quiver of arrows. It was beautiful and she picked it up to get a better look. It was hand crafted, the wood was smooth and shiny, there was a gold pattern that looked like a vine traced along the wood, the string was strong and new and, peering closely, she saw her name engraved in the side. The quiver matched the bow, it was made from the same shiny wood and had the same gold pattern on it. It also had some charms stuck across it, courtesy of Kaede Kagome guessed. The strap was just the right length for her and was white and green. The feathers on the ends of the arrows were also white and green and Kagome realised it was to match her uniform. She turned to her friends clutching the gift tightly, she would no longer have to take bows from dead warriors, of borrow old flimsy ones from the villagers, she now had her very own.
"Thank you guys! So much!" Her friends grinned.
"Come on then!" shouted Shippō, "We've got some fun games to play!" They all then proceeded to play much older versions of party games, and Kagome introduced the gang to a few she knew. It was part way through that Kagome noticed that Inu-Yasha had disappeared. He had been there a moment ago, but now the Hanyou was gone. Kagome felt a jolt of sadness, had he been bored? Had he not thought her birthday party important? She tried to forget him and just enjoy herself, but knowing that he wasn't there made that impossible. As soon as she could she slipped out of the hut, and looked around, maybe he had just come outside for a bit of fresh air. But he wasn't there. Sighing, she sank to the floor, leaning against the hut wall. She didn't feel much like having a party now.